What’s the big deal with adaptive vs responsive website designs?

In a world where users are increasingly using their mobile devices for web browsing, it is important for businesses to know the differences between different types of layouts such

as AWD (Adaptive Web Design) and RWD (Responsive Web Design). While both are optimized for various screen sizes such as desktops, laptops, tablet and mobile phones, there are certain advantages and disadvantages to choosing one over the other.

Adaptive

In an adaptive layout, the designer creates multiple versions of the web page for different screen sizes and installs programming to detect the type of device the site is being accessed on and deliver the correct version. Although this method has the ability to reach a broader mobile audience, it is more complex and expensive than the responsive method.

Responsive Layouts

Generally speaking, responsive layouts are considered to be the better and more cost-efficient option. A responsive layout, as suggested by the name, includes multiple sets of CSS (cascading style sheets) commands to change based on the size of the window. As you can see in the example below, if you make the window larger or smaller, the layout of the page will change order to improve user experience and make the content easier to read.

Which one is right for you?

Adaptive vs responsive website design doesn’t have to be such a hard decision. Whether you need an adaptive layout or a responsive layouts, our web designers at drumBEAT Marketing have the knowledge and skills to create a fully functional, mobile-optimized website specifically tailored to your business needs.